The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell

Mr. Bergman got his start in radio as an announcer for his high school’s radio station. He lost his job, however, after saying over the air that “Chinese Communists had taken over the school and that a mandatory voluntary assembly was to take place immediately.”

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell

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Now this is one hell of a big brown and smelly thing for a believer to accept and swallow. -- Mr.Ace
As for tv, screw it. You aren't missing anything. -- Ken Berg
I have come to realise it is futile to expect or hope a regular club game will be run in accordance with the laws. -- Jillybean
Factor in Alzheimers, and I can not recall a bad result from aggessive action in this situation. -- Aguahombre
When I look through the hand records after a club evening, the boards I didn't play are always the ones where I would have done great. -- Cherdano

Mr. Helm, the son of an Arkansas cotton farmer, was The Band’s only American.

Only if you don't count Canadians as Americans.

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell

Ah, but we still have Paul Ryan and his minions to keep her memory alive.

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell

Eric Crowhurst, English bridge theoretician, author of several bridge books. He was the inventor of the Crowhurst convention, a checkback over a wide-range 1NT (12-16) rebid.

I first met Eric in the mid-eighties when I started playing at the Reading Bridge Club, where he played every Tuesday. Despite being the star of the club, he was the least intimidating person there and I'm sure that his regular presence is the major reason that the club attracted and produced so many good players, including Tom Townsend.

Eric was a top-rank theoretician and one of his seminal works was "Precision Bidding in Acol", the first time anyone attempted to put some science into a bidding system that was laissez-faire by nature. This book also included an index based on the auction, so you could look up a sequence like 1C-1H-1S-3D.

I do not recall ever partnering him, but I was phoned one evening to see if I could play the next day with Eric in the National Club Knockout. Unfortunately I had played for another team and thus ineligible, so the next question was whether Helen could play instead. Those who read my blog will know that bridge is not Helen's first interest, and she was very inexperienced, but they were desperate so she said yes as long as Eric played her system (which at that time included Strong Twos, no transfers, no Michaels, simple Blackwood). Helen was extremely nervous about playing with such a good player, but after the match said it had been very enjoyable but they had lost - however it was not their fault, it was just that nige1 had been hopeless!

The growth of wisdom may be gauged exactly by the diminution of ill temper. — Friedrich Nietzsche
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists — that is why they invented hell. — Bertrand Russell